Corgi addictions, poo, squirrels, what's next?
My dog is an addict...the poo addiction has suddenly taken a spike. There are mitigating factors, but I am almost at my wits end.
My cat is indoor only and her litter box is in a gated room, no problems there. However my lawn is the favorite litter box for the cat across the street. I can think of no safe way to convince an elderly cat not to use my lawn. It is also now dark on at least one of our three walks a day. She can snatch and eat a poo faster than I can say 'leave it" and pull her away. Between cats and neighbors who don't clean up after their dogs it is a buffet line along the sidewalk. Even when on a tight heel she manages to snatch them. Do I just let it happen as gross as it is? She eats a premium diet, Honest Kitchen and Instinct kibble.
Then there are squirrels. Becca caught and killed one this summer and since then is obsessed. I might as well not exist if there is a squirrel in the yard. Any suggestions how to break her focus?
I am having a hard time letting her off leash in the yard due to these issues. All of her training seems to leak out her ears when she sees poo or a squirrel.
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Linda on
-
If you figure out how to stop the poo eating I want to know! Katie is a master at getting it and like Becca (your dog not my daughter) any training goes out her ears. Of course Katie is not the brightest corgi in the pack to begin with...yes, there truly are some not so smart corgis. Five years and I have yet to teach her to sit. And I've trained dogs for 30 years.
The squirrels around here know to stay close to the fence or the tree....so far none have met their maker but it's not from lack of trying by the corgi duo.
-
Permalink Reply by Marcie on
-
Becca is a corgi who is too damn smart for her own good. I swear she has a photographic memory. She has taught herself how to get the squirrels. She alters her pattern slightly each time she chases them.
I need to find a way to keep the neighbor's cat out of the yard. Any suggestions about how to do that?
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
Citrus peels can keep cats away. Unfortunately, my Corgis will eat citrus peels (dogs aren't supposed to like citrus, but no one told them) so we can't use that option for cat deterrents in the house.
-
Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
-
My dogs think the chicken poo in our yard is the greatest...I can't even try to stop them as they are free range and poop all over but I guess it's probably better than cat poo.
Squirrels around here know what trees to take to get away...I swear they tease mine!
-
-
Marcie...I've been trying to figure out how to keep wandering cats out of my yard for 33 years. Seems the majority of the cats in this neighborhood are outside cats (my 3 stay indoors). I am also a gardener so I never do any digging without gloves on. It's a pain but I haven't found a way to stop them.
-
-
I have no advice on the poop eating. About the squirrels... once a high-prey-drive dog actually has caught an animal, it can honestly be impossible to stop them unless you want to try a shock collar. I am not a fan of e-collars for routine training, BUT to stop a bad habit that puts the dog's life in danger and/or makes it impossible for them to do their job (a bird dog that runs deer, for instance), it can be a humane alternative to simply always confining the dog.
However, you may have some success with another method, depending on the dog. Up the ante on whatever command you use to get Becca to watch you (since I have two dogs, I use their name, but many people use "watch me" or "look"). Practice inside using very high-value treats for several days.
Now move the game outside. The key is that YOU need to be the one to see the squirrel first, and from a distance that Becca will notice the squirrel but not want to chase.
Use your "watch me" command and jackpot reward her, then be done for the day.
Do this for a few days, then gradually move closer to the object. Have a plant mister filled with plain water with you. If at any point you give her your command and she ignores you, squirt her once in the face with the mister. The point is not to punish her, but to break her attention and get her to look at you. The second she does look at you, reward her HUGELY. If you are very fast, you can also try body-blocking her by moving into her space rapidly and backing her up by walking towards her forcefully. If you do this method, instead of having her look at you, your goal is to have her look away from the squirrel and willingly turn in the other direction and walk away instead of backing up while trying to see around you to the squirrel. Again, as soon as she turns and walks away, praise and treat heavily.I used a combination of the plant mister and body blocks to break Maddie's obsession with Boo when we got her a few years ago; she was stalking the cat constantly and her hearing turned off when she was focused on kitty. It took two shots with the plant mister and several body blocks up the hallway to get her to realize that looking at me was the thing to do.
So basically you are reconditioning Becca to look at you whenever she sees a squirrel, or to turn and walk away if you step into her space. I have personally found leashing worthless with Maddie, my high prey drive dog, because pulling on the leash only ups her excitement. Jack is lower prey drive and a tug on the leash will redirect him (though it's been years since I even needed to do that).
But again, nothing may work short of an e-collar if she is very high drive and has already discovered the joys of dispatching furry animals.
-
-
Becca does have a high prey drive. Yesterday I had her in the yard with a 20ft training leash dragging. When she went for a squirrel I was able to catch the leash and redirect. She was like "Oh, you wanted me?" We had a praise party when she came to me. When we walk, she doesn't react to squirrels if she is on heel, just when on loose leash.
If the squirrels didn't run to the street I think I would let her just chase them.
-
-
Maddie would give me that same look when I squirted her with the mister: "Oh, were you saying something?" Leashing her does not work in those circumstances, though usually she's not a puller. So if the long line works to break Becca's attention, more the better--- it's easier.
-
Permalink Reply by Denis J. on
-
I agree with Beth.
I've been doing the same with Wally during high stress situation such as during a lighting storm, stranger at the home, etc. Now he's OK to be outside with us during thunder shower where we're under the cover. I keep a hand full of treats close by to get his attention and reward him for being quiet; lots of petting, rubbing bellies and making is a fun time.
Now he comes to motorcycle rally's and car shows with me where engine are cracking everywhere and he just sits calmly. He surprised me the other day by walking behind a couple of rumbling Harley's at an intersection. He didn't mind... :)
-
-
My 2 are total opposites. Max is afraid of thunder and fireworks but I have to just about run over him with the Dyson to get him to move which proved perfect to get his therapy dog certification. Katie is afraid of the Dyson, nail clippers, brooms, swifters but isn't the least bit concerned with thunder or fireworks. She would have had a stroke if confronted with canes, crutches and wheelchairs in training.
-
-
Oh yes Linda...Sage is just like Max and almost too trusting of things in the way.
-
-
Woo-hoo! Two days and great vigilance on my part, but no poo snatching. I have been keeping Becca on a tight heel through the worst sections of the block. Putting new batteries in my headlamp helped as well. She had herself a corgi tantrum this morning when she wasn't able to snatch a poo beside the sidewalk.
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
